1. Technical Field
This invention relates to lighting fixtures and particularly to the use of translucent louver baffles in lighting fixtures.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Using standard opaque louver baffles mounted directly underneath light sources in light fixtures is known. Such louvers are used to direct light upon a desired area of illumination while at the same time restricting light from illuminating other areas.
Flourescent light fixtures are typically provided with rows of louver baffles affixed to at least one longitudinal stringer and set parallel to one another along a length of the fixture and spanning a width of the fixture. The parallel louver baffles and longitudinal stringer(s) create multiple cells which direct light as desired. Such fixtures are typically long and narrow, being substantially rectangular or square in general appearance when installed in a ceiling and viewed from below. A problem facing the lighting industry is that less light emanates from typical flourescent light fixture ends and corresponding cells due to the physical location of opaque louver baffles, support hardware, wiring, and bulb mounting means. This problem is enhanced due to the fact that fluorescent lamps typically emit less light at the ends than nearer the center of the lamp. As a result, undesirable dark areas are found on both ends of the fixtures, and especially between an area from a fixture end to the cells and associated opaque louver baffles mounted closest to each fixture end. This problem becomes more apparent when a plurality of fixtures is mounted end-to-end across a ceiling of a large open room, such as a large department store. Such dark areas can result in reduced customer acceptance of the overall aesthetic appearance of the fixture. Thus, there is a need for a light fixture louver assembly which includes translucent louver baffles that eliminate dark areas at fixture ends, achieves uniform cell brightness and color, is simple to manufacture, costs less to produce, and is easy to use.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate dark areas at fixture ends of lighting fixtures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide light fixtures having cells of a uniform brightness and color.
It is even another object of the present invention to provide a light fixture louver assembly having translucent louver baffles which eliminate dark areas at fixture ends.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a light fixture louver assembly having translucent louver baffles which provide uniform cell brightness and color.
It is even a further object of the present invention to provide a translucent louver baffle of preselected translucent materials for use in a flourescent lighting fixture louver assembly.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a translucent louver baffle of preselected materials for use in a long and narrow flourescent lighting fixture louver assembly.
More particularly, this invention relates to a flourescent light fixture louver assembly having a plurality of opaque louver baffles and at least one translucent louver baffle mounted at at least one preselected location of the louver assembly in a flourescent light housing; the preselected location of said at least one translucent louver baffle being chosen to eliminate dark areas at fixture ends, and to provide uniform cell brightness and color. The preferred translucent louver baffle of the present invention is identical in shape and size to opaque louver baffles used in the same fixture, and is generally manufactured of plastic, glass or other materials of varying translucent characteristics in order to achieve a preselected and desired uniformity of cell brightness and color.
All of the above outlined objectives are to be understood as exemplary only and many more objectives of the invention may be gleaned from the disclosure herein. Therefore, no limiting interpretation of the objectives noted are to be understood without further reading of the entire specification and drawings included herewith.